Finally we
have reached the Kangchenjunga Base Camp and it was not a walk in the park to
get there. We were hoping for eight days of nice walking in the hills and
mountains of eastern Nepal. Now 14 days later I know that the Kangchenjunga
base camp trek is a bit more complicated than that.

First we
were strolling in the sun along rice fields and banana plantations. Then came
the Jungle with the leeches. The days got longer and the rainfalls got more
frequent. As we moved up to higher altitude the weather and the terrain got
nicer. Once in a while I even got a glimpse of a snow capped mountain. Our
mood got better but that didn’t stop Jörgen from catching a cold. He got a
sore throat and a bad cough that kept him a wake most of the night. To get rid
of the cough Jörgen decided to stay a few days in the camp in Tseram (3700m)
while the rest of the crew continued. During the trek we had about 20 porters
that helped us carry our gear and food. When we came up to the Yalung Glacier
that leads up to Kangchenjunga, about half of them didn’t want to continue.
With only half the men it took us two days to travel the distance of a normal
day. If that wasn’t enough, then came the snow. In one day we got 20 cm snow
and that made the rest of the porters give up on us as well. Even though it
gave us some problems I totally understand them. Walking on this glacier is no
fun at all and 20 cm of snow doesn’t make it more exciting. It’s a mix of
sand, rocks and ice and always up or down. Not a single flat spot. The gear
the porters show up in is better suited for a sunny day on the beach than on a
snowy glacier. I’m impressed that they made it as far as they did. Fortunate
for us we were not far from base camp. Jörgen got well and caught up with us
and together with our cooking crew: Buddhi, Kansha and Mon we could move up to
Kangchenjunga Base Camp.

It feels
great to be here at the foot of Kangchenjunga and the view of the beautiful
mountains makes the long trek all worthwhile. After 14 days in the jungle and
on the moraine Jörgen and I are getting very excited to take out the skis and
head up to the snow.

Earlier: The Adventure has begun. Jörgen and I are now on the trek towards
Kangchenjunga base camp. Four days have passed and four days to go to reach
camp. It’s just over a week since we arrived in Nepal. We spent three days in
Kathmandu sorting out climbing permit at the ministry of tourism, meetings
with journalists and a chat with Elisabeth Hawley, the master of Himalayan
climbing statistics. We also bought some gear and food that we will need on
the expedition.

Kathmandu is a big and lively city with millions of people. There is a
massive amount of cars and motorcycles and the traffic is the most chaotic
I’ve ever experienced. It’s interesting to visit Kathmandu but it’s a bit too
stressful for a guy like me that is used to the peace and quiet life of
northern Sweden.

We continued with a one hour flight to Bhadrapur and a jeep ride via Ilam
to Gopetar. After getting delayed one day due to a missing bag on the flight
to Bhadrapurwe left Gopetar last Friday and started the trek towards
Kanghenjunga, We are now halfway on the eight days trek and it’s not the
regular trek that we are used to. We’ve been walking up and down the hills,
going through rise- and cornfields, crossing rives on wooden suspension
bridges and through the jungle. Jörgen and I have agreed that we are not made
for the jungle. It’s warm and moisty, the rocks are slippery and leeches are
attacking us from all directions.

During the trek we have met a lot of nice people that have been telling us
stories about life in Nepal and we have been trying to describe to them what
life is like in Europe. We are now looking forward to leave the jungle and
move up to higher altitude and hopefully we will reach base camp in a few
days. More news when we arrive.

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